Timothy Simons' character Jonah Ryan may be known on HBO's "Veep" by some rather unpleasant nicknames — including "unstable piece of human scaffolding" — but the affable, tall actor takes it all in stride.

"You have to separate yourself from what you hear, as if it's not actually directed at you," he said during a TODAY visit Friday. "I've lived with my face for a long time; I look like a bird of prey that gave birth to a muskrat. That's what I look like, and I get that. ... When cameras stop rolling, I'm very handsome."

The role has given Simons one of his first high-profile breaks in the business, but Ryan is a character that's hard for many to really take a shine to — including the actor's wife.

"I think that it's hard for her to watch sometimes, some of the really awful things I say," admitted Simons.

Well, at least the nice paycheck from the series, which was recently renewed, should be a consolation.